Beaming Notes
Your Guide to Literature

‘Touched by An Angel’ consists of three stanzas. The first stanza contains six lines, and therefore, it is a sestet. The second stanza contains an extra line, bringing the total to seven, and is therefore a septet. The third and final stanza similarly adds another extra line, bringing the total to eight, and is therefore… Continue reading Touched by an Angel Summary by Maya Angelou

‘Still I Rise’ is a typical Maya Angelou poem in terms of its subject matter, but what really sets it apart is the kind of visual stimulation it provides to readers. We shall find evidence of this time and time again in our analysis of the poem. The first seven stanzas of the poem show… Continue reading Still I Rise Analysis by Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou (1928-2014) is an African-American woman poet. Her poetry thus addresses two kinds of oppression – both racial oppression, and sexism. A contemporary of Angelou’s named Zora Neale Hurston has said that the black woman is the mule of the world, bearing all the disrespect imaginable on her own feeble shoulders. In ‘Still I… Continue reading Still I Rise Summary by Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou (1928-2014), an African-American woman poet, writes passionately about the experiences of women of her own community. While often focusing on the story of one particular African-American woman, Angelou makes it clear that the story is not, in fact, the story of an individual, but of many like that woman who live in despair… Continue reading Momma Welfare Roll Summary by Maya Angelou

‘Momma Welfare Roll’ has no identifiable rhyme scheme in either of the two stanzas that it is composed of. Instead, the poem is written in free verse with the lines flowing from one to the next in a stream of passion. Hence, no shortcomings in poetic craft are perceived by the reader. Angelou here speaks… Continue reading Momma Welfare Roll Analysis by Maya Angelou